North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon

Sunday, June 4, 2023 • Port Angeles, WA • Course Map

Billed by race organizers as a great course for both runners and walkers, the North Olympic Discovery Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K & 5K takes runners along the picturesque waterfront of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, in the shadow of Washington state’s Olympic Mountain range.

Both the full and half marathon races are point-to-point races that take runners along the Olympic Discovery Trail, which stretches approximately 100 miles from Port Angeles through Sequim to Port Townsend.

From the starting line on Barr Road near the Agnew Soccer Fields, those running the half marathon follow a course that’s a combination of city streets through Port Angeles as well as a wide, hard-surface trail made of mixed materials.

For the first several miles of the race, the course snakes its way along trails that parallel the Old Olympic Highway and through forest-shaded areas just a stone’s throw from the water’s edge of the Port Angeles Harbor.

Runners trek through a number of small creek beds as they cross through the race’s first few miles from Siebert Creek on the way to Morse Creek, with some steep but short hills along the way.

At about the seven-mile marker, runners approach the crossing over Morse Creek, which organizers say is perhaps the most scenic and inspirational point of the race, and makes the miles you’ve run all worth it.

Here, runners head downhill from the trail and then cross over an old railroad trestle bridge over the creek, which brings water down from the nearby Olympic Mountains toward the harbor, and then head out onto the finish stretch of the race, the five-mile run along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to the finish line at the downtown City Pier.

With the exception of the aforementioned hills around the creek beds in the first few miles of the race, the half marathon’s first seven miles are mostly fast, with little in the way of elevation changes. The last five miles along the water are perhaps the flattest stretch of the race as runners make their way along the water to the finish line near the Port Angeles City Pier.

Race Weather & Climate

Even in the summer months, the Port Angeles area (located on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, just north of Olympic National Park) tends to stay cool to moderately warm in June. Rainfall is usually scarce this time of year in the local area, averaging less than an inch for the month.

On race day (June 4), the average low is 48ºF and the average high is 63ºF.

Past Results

• 2022 North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon Results (Virtual)
• 2020 North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon Results (Virtual)
• 2018 North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon Results
• 2017 North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon Results
• 2016 North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon Results
• 2015 North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon Results
• 2014 North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon Results
• 2013 North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon Results
• 2012 North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon Results
• 2011 North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon Results
• 2010 North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon Results

Course Map

See the race route map for the North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon here.

Starting Time

• 6:00 AM – full marathon (walkers)
• 7:30 AM – full marathon, relay (runners)
• 8:30 AM – half marathon, 10K, 5K

Fees

• $80 and up for the in-person half marathon
• $50 and up for the virtual half marathon
• $100 and up for the full marathon
• $35 and up for the 10K
• $35 and up for the 5K
• $15 and up for the kids marathon

Registration

To reserve your spot in the 2023 running of Port Angeles’s North Olympic Discovery Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K or 5K races, register online at RunSignUp.com here.

Official Race Website

www.RunSignUp.com

Comments

Ever run in the North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon? Share your impressions here, or post your review in the Comments below.

See more races in: June, Washington